Diagnosis: A rather robust Hemidactylus (maximum SVL: male = 59.5 mm, female = 60.5 mm), easily distinguishable from the others Socotran Hemidactylus by the following combination of characters: back covered by large, trihedral, strongly keeled tubercles intermixed with a few small, irregular shaped granules (Fig. 1d), forming 12-16 (mode 14) irregular transversal rows from axilla to groin (counted along a paravertebral line); nostril in contact with the rostral, the 1st supralabial and 3 postnasals; 6 lamellae under the 1st toe (Fig. 1c) and 9-11 (media 10.2 ± 0,54, mode = 10) under the 4th toe (Fig. 1e). Chin shield subtriangular; first pair of enlarged post-mentals in broad contact each other and with the first and second lower labial; second pair in contact with the second lower labial and usually with small paralabials (Fig. 1b). Males with 3/3 to 5/5 preanal pores in two short rows, separated medially by 2-3 scales (Fig. 1f); females without pores. Pattern with more or less irregular, narrow transversal bands on back and unregenerated tail, sometimes indistinct. Ventral part of the tail with transversely enlarged scales intermixed with smaller ones (from SINDACO et al. 2009).

Etymology

The specific epithet inintellectus is a latin adjective meaning “misunderstood”, because the species was observed and/or collected by different authors (including us during the first surveys), but was confused with other taxa or was suspected to be a new taxon, but remained undescribed for about ten years.

References

Braz, Henrique B.; Rodrigo R. Scartozzoni, Selma M. Almeida-Santos 2016. Reproductive modes of the South American water snakes: A study system for the evolution of viviparity in squamate reptiles Zoologischer Anzeiger 263: 33-44; doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2016.04.003 - get paper here